This knife is a true looker. It was the second Japanese made knife I purchased. I own more wonderful Japanese knives now but find myself reaching for this beauty often. Out of the box it was an absolute razor. Shaved half the hair of one of my arms showing it off to friends. If your looking for a Nakiri in the $100.00 range don't hesitate.

I had been looking for a Nakiri blade for awhile when my brother handed me an amazing Chef's Knife delivered straight from Japan. It turned out to be a Sakai Takayuki product, more specifically, a 210mm Hammered Damascus Chef's knife. I loved from the first time using it! I knew about ChefKnivestogo.com prior to receiving this gift and I couldn't believe it when I saw that they carried this high end line, and more specifically, they had a 160mm Nakiri with a 50/50 bevel (important for us south paws) IN STOCK!!

The knife was ordered immediately and was followed speedy delivery. It arrived in perfect shape and even came in a box similar to the one brought back from Japan.

The knife has an excellent weight to it. It came with a nice edge on it (understatement) and has been a gem since. I find the size perfect for my hand and the balance is great and makes it feel lighter than it is. No issues here being a lefty. The handle has a basic but comfortable feel to it. It also cleans up quite easily. I will post more upon a sharpening session to update this review.

I'd first heard of Sakai Takayuki Knives a couple of years ago, but they've been remarkably hard to track down. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I saw them on Chefknivestogo. Not only did Mark stock the slightly more available Inox series, but the hammered damascus series as well! So ordering it was a bit of a no brainer.

The shipping was super fast. I ordered it over the weekend, selected standard shipping and was basking in its beauty in time for Wednesday's dinner.

And I do mean beauty. This knife is a true looker. VG-10 core, with a pretty damascus pattern about half-way up the blade, transitioning to non-damascus hammer (tsuchime) finish. Add on a handsome pakkawood handle and you've got a nice looking knife! The fit and finish was rather good for a hand-made knife at this price. The only thing that I could really mark it down for was a bit of unevenness around the Ferrule.

Well, that and the weight. Don't be fooled by the short length, this knife has some heft to it. It easily weighs as much as some of my 165mm Debas. I don't have a scale, but I'd say around 250-300 grams. The balance is very good, so it doesn't feel terribly heavy to me, but if you are going to be using this all day, that might make a difference to you.

The Nakiri came with, what I'd call a moderately sharp OOTB edge. I'd say it was better than most Japanese manufacturers and about on par with say a Henckels but far from its true potential. If you are able to, take this edge to the stones! It sharpens very nicely, especially for a VG-10 which can sometimes develop a tenacious wire edge. I thinned it somewhat and took it down to about 6 degrees per side, for an included angle of 12. And suddenly this thing was a laser and held that phenomenal edge for about a week and a half of solid home use. Literally, with the exception of deboning and carving, I used this knife for everything, including a 20 person dinner. And after that week and a half, all it took was a light visit to the 8K and then a quick strop and it was right back where it started. Truly, this was a JOY to use, at least, for most tasks.

As beautiful as the hammered finish is, there is a downside to it. Throughout the tschumine section, the blade doesn't taper. It starts at about 2.5mm thick at the spine, and remains that way for just shy of half the height of the blade. Only when you reach the damascus pattern does it really start to taper. The result is that on large vegetables you get some wedging issues (Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Cabbage). This issue occurred on pretty much anything dense and thick. That said, for a sweet potato, a nakiri isn't my knife of choice. And for the things I WOULD grab a nakiri for, it performed fantastically.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a great looking nakiri with good fit and finish at an affordable price, and don't mind a bit of sharpening and a bit of heft, you should seriously consider this blade.

CKTG is at heart a small business so the service is personal. They are one of the rare companies that actually dispatch the order the same day as receiving it and provide tracking information. It is great to deal with an individual by name and itís evident that they take pride and love in what they do.

Had a problem with one of the products and they went out of their way to resolve. I would highly recommend dealing with this company. Itís nice to find a company who cares and they will get me as a return customer.

Mark is great at answering questions for knife nuts of all levels. His service is second to none. Really appreciate the time he puts into every email as well as the free forum he hosts.

Great experience working with Chef Knives to Go. Quick delivery, and they are great about returning emails. I'm actually waiting on my second knife from them. I'm sure there will be more to come.

Loved the instructional videos on the website.

Great service and quick shipping. Best selection of Japanese knives around. I recommend this site to all of my fellow culinary professionals!

Top quality service. None better.

Always the best. Quick shipping, description matches what is delivered and the price, you can't beat them. I always come here to order anything I might need for the kitchen and I am never disappointed.

I ordered several Christmas presents from Chef Knives To Go. Everything arrived as promised and all who received gifts from there were happy with them.

As always, the shopping experience at Chef Knives to Go was excellent. Fast, free shipping, great website description of the product, and the confidence instilled in me because I know that if there are any problems the good people at Chef Knives to Go will help me work it out.

My go to company for kitchen gear. Awesome selection of knives and tools. Super fast shipping. Never had a problem and questions about all products are answered quickly. Great customer service.